Ultimate Batman
by ryn2o01
Summary: An Ultimate take on Batman...
1. From the Shadows Part 1

_**From the Shadows: Part 1**_

Gotham City isn't the most ideal place to live. The city is ridden with filth, poverty and crime, but people still raise their family. Instead of living a normal life, they live in a constant state of fear. The Mayor was employed by the various mob bosses and the Commissioner and the police department would turn its back on the city. There were gangs running the streets at night, muggings, murders, robberies, corruption; they all occurred in the city. There was no way of stopping it, but all of that changed the night it showed up. Criminals would think twice before they would take action, they never knew if it was lurking in the darkness. No one really knows if it existed, but everyone had heard stories of a masked creature running the streets of Gotham. It was cleaning the filth off the streets along with the new Commissioner of Police. Together they were making the city a safer place, for people to live. Most people were asking; what is it; who is it; and why?

**_-21 Years from the present-_**

"Are you ready yet? The movie starts in fifteen minutes; you don't want to be late." The mother yelled up the stairwell.

"Be there in a minute." A young boy replied.

"I'll go get the car." The husband said as he put on his coat.

"No need sir, I took the liberty of pulling the car around." An older man in a freshly pressed suit and bow tie said.

"Thank you Alfred." The woman looked at her watch. "Where is that boy? Bruce?" she called again.

They could hear their 5 year old son's footsteps running around upstairs. Thomas and Martha Wayne stood at the end of the stairwell waiting to for their son. Thomas was a multi-million dollar entrepreneur in Gotham City. Martha was well respected in the political world. She was setting up a campaign headquarters for a run as Mayor. They were considered Gotham's first family. They both had big plans for their son; he would eventually inherit everything they had.

Bruce finally came down stairs with a mask and a black and red cap swaying behind him as he ran down the stairs.

"Well don't you look nice." His mother knelt down and helped him put on his coat.

"Are you ready to go see Zorro?" His father asked.

"Yeah!" The boy said eagerly, smiling ear to ear.

"Well let's get going." Martha picked her son up and walked out the door to the car. Thomas shut the door to their home and walked to the car. They all got in and Alfred shut the car door and walked around to the diver side and started the car. They were off to downtown Gotham.

--

There was a small crowd leaving the theatre as the movie let out. Both Martha and Thomas held Bruce's hand as they walked down the sidewalk.

"Did you enjoy it?" Martha asked Bruce.

"Sure did. Can we come see it again next week?"

His mother smiled at him and they walked around the side of theatre and paused for a second. Thomas looked around and saw it was starting to cloud up and heard a rumble of thunder in the distance.

"Let's take a shortcut. We don't want to get caught in the rain." Thomas looked around again. He found the alley they took every now and then to the diner. It was a ritual; they would see a movie and then have a late dinner every Friday night.

"I don't know Thomas, it's dark down there tonight."

"The lights must have burnt out, it will be alright." He grabbed Bruce's hand and they made there way down the dark alley. Bruce closed his eyes and reached for his Zorro mask because it was starting to itch. He had noticed they had stopped walking. He opened his eyes and looked up at his mother. He could see the horror in his mothers face. He looked straight ahead and saw a man standing in the shadows in front of him. Thomas let go of Bruce's hand and stepped in front of him and Martha.

"Wha…what do you want?" Thomas said nervously.

"Gimme everything ya got." The man said pointing a gun at them.

Martha gabbed onto Bruce and clutched him tightly. Thomas started reaching for his wallet.

"Hurry up!" The man cried out looking apprehensively around. Thomas handed the man his wallet. The man opened it up and started flipping through it trying to find some cash. All that was in there were credit cards. The man looked at the ID and saw it was Thomas Wayne. "You gotta be kiddin'. You're Thomas Wayne and you ain't got no cash?" The man looked over at Martha and saw she was wearing a beautiful matching diamond necklace and earrings. He walked over to Martha with the gun pointed at Thomas. "I'll just take those instead." He reached for the necklace and snatched it off of her. "Gimme tha earrings, now!"

Martha was crying hysterically, trying to get her earrings off but couldn't get them unfastened.

"Damn it." The gunman said. He reached over and grabbed Martha's hair and yanked her head back. Thomas saw that the man wasn't pointing the gun at him so he made his move. Thomas lunged at the gunman knocking him to the ground. Both Martha and Bruce fell to the hard cold payment. Both men struggled to get a hold of the gun. Thomas landed a few punches but the gunman used the gun and brought it down across Thomas's face knocking him to the ground. "Your gunna pay for that." The man pointed the gun at the Thomas and cocked it.

Martha finally gained her composure and saw the last moments of her husband. Thomas looked over at his wife and son one last time.

**_BANG!_**

The shot echoed through the night. Bruce finally looked up and saw his father slump to the ground. He wanted to scream but was in a state of shock. The gunman turned and focused his attention on Martha and Bruce, who were still on the ground.

"Can't leave no witnesses now can I." He said as he cocked the gun again and pointed it at Martha. He gave a smirk and looked into Martha's frightened eyes.

_**BANG!**_

Another shot rang out into the night. The gunman dropped his hand and the gun fell to the ground. He fell to his knees and collapsed to the payment. Martha looked up at where the gunman was and standing over her husband was a Gotham police officer. He had overheard the confrontation and made his way down the alley to find out what was going on.

"Are you alright ma'am?" The young officer said.

Martha didn't say a word; she stood up and ran over to her husband. Bruce stood there looking at the police officer. Bruce began shaking and crying.

"It's ok, I won't hurt you." The officer showed him his badge. "See it say's Officer Gordon." Bruce still was crying. Lightning lit up the night sky and the bottom dropped out. Just like that in one quick flash Bruce's life changed.

--

It seemed like all of Gotham showed up for the funeral at. Martha was visibly still shaken while Bruce was very quiet. Their lives had changed in an instant, but the memories were not forgotten. At the funeral, with most of Gotham watching Bruce walked up to the casket alone and placed his head against it, and rested there for a minute and walked back to his seat, with a lone tear running down his face.

--

After the funeral Martha and Bruce went back home. Alfred spent most of the day organizing the flowers that had been sent to the house. Bruce walked around outside thinking about all the games he and his dad use to play. While Martha stayed in her room lying on the bed still in disbelief that her husband was gone. She knew she couldn't handle things alone, she knew she had Alfred but it wasn't the same. She thought to herself why he attacked the gunman. All he wanted was money and the necklace.

She stayed in her room for weeks, never once did she step foot outside her room. Bruce would visit often but she was afraid to look at him, because she could see a part of Thomas in him. Alfred cared for her and Bruce. He loved them all and couldn't bear to see them like this. Martha sat on the edge of the bed holding a family portrait. She gazed at the picture for hours, until Bruce walked into the room. They didn't say a word to one another. He walked closer and she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug. She held back the tears as Bruce walked out the door. He turned back to look at his mother, and she sat there looking at the picture once again.

Bruce went back to his room and heard a loud noise come from inside the house. Bruce stuck his head out of the door way to see Alfred looking into his mother's bed room. Bruce could see something wasn't right in Alfred's face. He sprinted down the hallway to his mother's room, but before he got there Alfred picked Bruce up and carried him back to his room. Bruce cried out for his mother but there was no response.

Minute's later police and detectives were in the house walking in and out of Martha's room. Bruce peered out of his doorway down the hall; he could hear people talking but couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Are you alright, son?" A voice said. Bruce looked around to see the police officer he met in the alley. Bruce looked at him and gave him a hug. "It's going to be alright." Gordon said patting young Bruce on the back.

--

_**-17 years from the present-**_

Four years since the death of both of his parents, a 9 year old Bruce stood on his parent's grave site holding two roses. He laid them down on their graves and began to think about the events that lead to him being here. Over the four years he had nightmares about that night in the alley. He could see his father trying to protect his family. He was doing the right thing, but eventually fell to evil. When he thought of his mother, he got angry. During the years he always wanted to know why did she leave him, did she love even love him? She escaped death, but still decided to take her life, instead of being with him. That night standing over his parent's graves, he thought of the current state of Gotham and how his father fought back. Then he knew what he wanted, to honor his father by doing the same thing…he would fight back. He didn't want anyone to have to go through what he did with the loss of both of his parents. He wanted vengeance.


	2. From the Shadows Part 2

_**From the Shadows: Part 2**_

A 9 year old Bruce sat on the plane waiting for it to touch down thinking about the vow he made on his parents grave. Alfred was by his side reading his newspaper. It had been a long trip but they had finally reached Japan. Bruce was given a name of the finest martial arts master in the world and was ready to learn from him. Bruce got off the plane with Alfred walking behind him. They both retrieved their luggage and headed towards the dojo. Bruce and Alfred arrived they were greeted by Yuri Komadori the martial arts master.

"Welcome." He said in a soft tone. Bruce bowed and then shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you." Alfred said carrying the luggage. Yuri clapped his hands twice and two students ran out of the dojo and took the luggage from Alfred.

"Please let my students help. Now come, I'd like to show you around." Yuri took Bruce and toured him around the dojo. Showing him the living quarters, and where he would be training. Bruce looked in and saw many students practicing with each other while teachers watched and examined each move they made. 

"Will I be taught by them?" Bruce asked watching one of the students fall to the mats.

"Yes, then I will be your teacher. But all in good time." Yuri continued to show Bruce around while Alfred unpacked and settled into their room.

--

The next few days were tough for Bruce. He wasn't use to the types of demands and was having a hard time adjusting. Bruce slowly became confident and was one of the best students Yuri had. Yuri began to train Bruce 2 years after he arrived. Yuri was surprised by the drive and passion Bruce had to get things right on the first try. He hated to fail and it showed when he did. Bruce would become very adamant about getting it correct. Yuri would try and reassure him but Bruce would pay no attention to him and continued to train even harder. 

Years passed and Bruce had worked his way to become one of Yuri's greatest students. Now fifteen, Bruce became a teacher to some of the newer students. He observed the students as they trained; most of the students didn't like him because he was so strict on what had to be done. Yuri had to pull him aside a few times to get him to go easy on the new students, he was demanding too much. Bruce was practicing late at night in the dojo, when Yuri appeared in the doorway.

"Still training?" Bruce was focused and training as hard as Yuri had ever seen. Bruce stopped and looked at Yuri. 

"I've learned all I can from you; I think it's time I moved on." Bruce said grabbing a towel and whipping the sweat from his forehead. Yuri smiled.

"I was about to say the same thing." He laughed a little and walked over in front of Bruce. "I want you to know that if you ever need my help I will be more then willing to help."

"I appreciate it." Bruce said.

"I have taught you all I know. I would like for you to visit an old friend of mine."

--

Two days later Bruce and Alfred set off to meet up with one of Yuri's old friends. Yuri was proud to see the man that Bruce had become. He started as a nervous student who worked as hard as he could to become the best. Now he leaves as one of the dojo's most prestigious students and one of the most accomplished.

Bruce arrived in Tibet not knowing what he was getting into. All he knew was that the person he was going to see was a former detective and an old friend of Yuri's. Bruce arrived at the old monastery; and looked like it hadn't been used in years. Bruce walked up to the door and knocked. No one answered. He slowly crept the door open and made his way inside. Looking around cautiously he heard some noise coming from a back room. Alfred stayed outside watching nervously as the 15 year old Bruce entered the run down monastery.

Bruce made his way into the doorway and saw a middle aged man with his head down sitting on the floor meditating. Bruce looked down on the floor and saw a large shadow looming over him. The head raised and he spoke.

"If this was a real life situation, you would have been in grave danger." The man said. Bruce turned around and saw a large bald man standing behind him with his arms folded.

"Very good Ubu; that will be all." The man stood up and turned to Bruce. "I am Ra's al Ghul." He extended his hand.

"Bruce Wayne."

They shook hands and Ra's began asking him questions.

"What brings you here?" Ra's asked.

"I'm here to make myself better." Bruce said.

"You won't just become better, you will become superior." Bruce looked confused when he said that. Ra's laughed and then saw someone enter the room. "Ah, daughter."

A beautiful young girl walked into the room carrying a tray of tea for him and Bruce.

"Bruce I would like you to meet my daughter, Talia."

"Nice to meet you." She said smiling. She set the cups down on a table.

"Nice to meet you too." Bruce said. She walked out of the room she turned back and looked at Bruce smiling again.

"I haven't seen my daughter smile like that in years."

"I have that kind of affect on girls." Bruce said grinning.

--

The next few days Bruce settled in and started reading old journals that Ra's instructed him to read. They were full of cases that Ra's had once been apart of. The journals included facts of the cases, list of suspects and notes from Ra's. He began to see how Ra's operated and how he thought. He learned how to meditate to help him think clearer. He would meditate for hours going over cases Ra's told him about. Ra's and Bruce would work along side a small police force in Tibet. Bruce was memorized when Ra's went to work. He could see his mind working over time trying to dissect the facts and come up with a solution.

Bruce now twenty spent 5 years with Ra's learning many different tips and tricks about becoming a detective. During those years Bruce began getting closer to Talia. They were almost inseparable, but when it came time to study with Ra's he dropped everything he was doing, including Talia. Talia would ask Bruce about his life in Gotham but he didn't talk much about his parents or Gotham. Bruce did keep in touch with Jim Gordon. Bruce always felt comfortable talking to Gordon; so he would send an occasional post card letting Gordon know how he was doing. Gordon would write back, he always thought of Bruce like a son.

--

One morning Bruce woke up early to go for a jog around the town. When he got up he saw the front door standing wide open. He slowly made his way out of his room and looked in to check up on Alfred, he was still asleep. Bruce continued down the hallway and looked into Ra's and Talia's room, they were gone. Bruce went around the monastery cautiously examining every inch of the place.

"Master Bruce?" Alfred called. "What's wrong?"

"They're gone." Bruce replied.

"Gone? How can that be?"

"I don't know Alfred."

They spent most of the morning looking for any type of clue. Bruce stepped out of the monastery hoping to see of someone had seen them. When he glanced outside the small town was completely deserted. He walked through the town for hours and not one sign of life.

Bruce didn't know what exactly to do. He walked back up into Alfred's room.

"Alfred, I think it's time we go back to Gotham."


	3. From the Shadows Part 3

_**From the Shadows: Part 3**_

Bruce stood in front of the door to the private jet. He looked out and saw a dark, dirty city. He could hear police sirens in the distance. A cold wind blew around. Bruce pulled his jacket closer.

"Home, sweet home, sir." Alfred said walking up behind him. Bruce's expression didn't change and he headed down the steps to a car that was waiting.

Bruce got into the back seat and Alfred into the drivers seat. "Where to Master Bruce?"

"Take me to see them." Bruce said looking out the window.

"As you wish."

--

A rumble of thunder rolled through the night sky in the distance. Bruce stood in front of the graves of his parents, not sure what to say. He struggled trying not to remember the night that caused his life to spiral downward. He couldn't help it, the memories flooded back to him. The sound of the gunshot, the look on his fathers face as he fell to the ground, he could see everything clear as day. He shook off the memories and the words came to him.

"It's been 11 years…" He said pausing. "I know it's been a long time. I just wanted to let you both know I haven't forgotten about the promise I made." He said brushing his hair back. "I don't know how I'm going to do it. Somehow I will find a way to keep my promise." Another loud rumble of thunder rang through the sky, then accompanied by a flash of lighting. Bruce stepped back and placed two roses on tope of the grave. Bruce started to walk back to the car when the rain began to fall. He turned back one last time to his parents and then got in the car with Alfred shutting the door.

--

The rain had cleared up as they drove up to Wayne Manor, Bruce saw reporters standing at the front gate. Alfred had to stop because of the crowd of people in the way. "I see the press has got word that you have returned." Alfred said laughing. Bruce grinned and could hear one of the reporters talking.

"Gotham's prodigal son has returned home to Gotham. A live report coming up."

"What should we do Master Bruce?" Alfred said looking at Bruce through the rear view mirror.

"Give the people what they want." Bruce stepped out of the car and walked over to the reporter who was reporting live. She had her back turned not realizing that Bruce Wayne was walking up behind her.

"Summer Gleeson here, outside Wayne Manor, where Bruce Wayne has just drove up to his home, after being away for 11 years. He is in his car at the moment and will not give interviews."

"Uhh…Summer." The camera man said nervously. "Behind you." Summer turned around to see Bruce standing there smiling. "Oh my." Summer said almost dropping her microphone.

"Would you like an exclusive Ms. Gleeson?" Bruce said grinning.

Summer didn't know what to say. "Umm…."

"If not I'm sure the reporter from Metropolis would like it."

"Yes… of course." she said.

"Give me time to get in and you can have your exclusive."

--

"So what brings you back to Gotham after an 11 year absence?" Summer said crossing her legs in the chair.

Bruce sat there thinking for a second. "I just thought it was time for me to come home. I've seen the world and I want to take over where my father left off."

"Do you plan on taking control of Wayne Enterprises day to day operations?"

"Oh no, I'll leave that to the well educated. I'll be behind the scenes, I'm sure they are doing a fine job."

"Doing what exactly?" Summer asked curiously.

"If I told, then my competition would have a heads up now wouldn't they."

"Good point." She looked down at her note pad for the next question. "Do you have a special lady in your life?"

"A bachelor like myself is always looking." Summer looked up from her notepad. "Tell me Ms. Summers, are you seeing anyone?"

Summer began to blush. "Mr. Wayne…I…"

Bruce smiled again. "I'm kidding. No I don't have a special lady in my life."

Alfred stood off to the side watching and was amazed at the transformation Bruce had made. The last 11 years he was a tough, silent, focused and almost sheltered person. To see what he was doing was astonishing. He watched in amazement as the interview continued.

--

After the interview Bruce and Alfred stood in the hallway. Bruce looked around the house, reminiscing.

"That was quite a display you put on tonight." Alfred said arranging a vase of flowers behind Bruce.

"I know."

"Sir would you like for me to turn down your bed for the night? You have had a busy night.

"No thanks, Alfred. Wayne Enterprises is holding a charity event for Harvey Dent tonight. I think I'll make an appearance."

"When should I be ready, sir?"

Bruce looked over at Alfred. "You can have the night off. I'll get myself there."

--

Later on that night at Gotham Towers, the entrance was blocked by reporters and photographers taking pictures of some of Gotham's most famous socialites. Most were there to see Harvey Dent announce that he is running for District Attorney. Everyone was surprised when they saw a bright red BMW Z9 with 30 day tags pull up to the valet. They all froze and turned and looked at the car with the music blaring. The passenger door opened and the photographers got into position. Two young gorgeous girls stepped out giggling with one another. The flashbulbs went off the instant they stepped out. Most of the press wasn't sure who was in the car, then the driver side door opened and Bruce stepped out. The sound of the camera's go off was almost deafening. The two women flanked Bruce and they headed into the building. Reporters and photographers called out to Bruce wanting to get his attention but all he did was turn and smile.

In the lobby Gotham Towers Bruce looked around and saw most of the high class people of Gotham. Then he heard a voice from behind.

"Nice to see you back."

Bruce turned around and looked at the man for a second and realized who it was. "Jim?"

"Glad you remembered my name." He said laughing. "What brings you back here?"

Bruce paused. "I missed Gotham."

"Well not much as changed since you left. It's still the hell hole it's always been." He said pressing his glasses back onto his nose.

"How's your wife?" Bruce asked grabbing a drink from the waiter crossing the room.

"Elizabeth is doing great and Barbara is 13."

"That's good to hear. How have you been?" Taking a sip of his drink.

"I'm a Sergeant now."

"Working your way up to Commissioner?"

"Not in this town. Sometimes I think I'm the only good cop on the force. The only reason I made Sergeant is because I saved the Mayors life."

"Really what happened?"

"Some bizarre guy in a red hood attacked him. Then the press called for a promotion, so they had no choice."

"Red hood?" Bruce said intrigued.

"Yea, but I need to go say hello to Harvey. I'll talk to you later."

"Alright." Bruce spent the rest of the night wandering around the floor mingling with other of Gothams celebrities.

Later on in the night Bruce made his way to the top of Gotham Towers and stood on the roof, over looking the city. He could see the lights glimmering beneath him. He looked at the moon and could see something flying in the distant against the moonlight. As it got closer, Bruce wasn't sure what it was. He began to make out its features and could hear what it sounded like. It began to screech and flew directly at him. Bruce ducked out of the way. He turned and saw what it was. On the edge of the building sat a bat. Bruce looked at it and began to walk towards it. It made another screeching noise. Bruce stopped and knelt down to look at it again. The door opened, and Bruce turned to see who it was. He quickly glanced back at the place the bat was sitting and it was gone.

Bruce turned around and saw Summer standing there. "The party too dull for you?" She said wrapping the coat tightly around her.

"Shouldn't you be covering Harvey Dent's announcement?"

"It's over with. He made his announcement and everyone clapped and congratulated him…yada yada yada. You know all the normal things that happen."

"You sound thrilled to be here." Bruce said walking over to her.

"Well I'd much rather be covering the scandal with Police Commissioner Loeb and the mob. But I know if I go public with the story then me and my family will be in danger."

"Ms. Gleeson, how would you like to go get something to eat?"

"What about the girls you showed up with?"

"I'm sure they'll find a way home."

"You're paying right?" She said laughing. Bruce smiled again and walked over and opened the door to the stairwell. "No, I'm serious." She said walking through the door.

--

The next year, Bruce and Summer had spent everyday together. She was always by Bruce's side when he had an appearance to make. The tabloids had a field day with them, but Bruce just shrugged it off as garbage. Alfred had grown to like Summer too; she would help him in the kitchen and help him clean and just pleasant to be around.

One afternoon they both were sitting around eating breakfast. Alfred walked over and poured some coffee in Summer's cup.

"I hope you two won't miss me to much the next few weeks."

"I don't think I'll be able to get out of bed in the morning." Alfred said sarcastically. Summer reached over and pushed him lovingly. "Well I guess I better get going. My flight leaves in an hour. I'll call you when I get there." Summer leaned in and kissed Bruce, Alfred almost had to look away.

"Wow, what was that for?" Bruce said shocked.

"Just so you know what you are missing." She wiped the lipstick from his lips with her thumb. "I'll see you two when I get back.

After Summer left Bruce turned to Alfred. "I think tonight's the night."

"I beg your pardon?" Alfred said cleaning off the table.

"I'm going out tonight. I've laid low for a year; now it's time find out if the training was worth it."

Alfred wasn't thrilled with the idea but knew it's what Bruce wanted to do.

Bruce went into a room at the far end of Wayne Manor. There in the closet a ninja like suit hung. Bruce put it on and looked at himself in the mirror. He thought that this was it, this is what he had trained for. Bruce slipped some little weapons into the belt he was wearing. Bruce went downstairs and into his garage. "Which car shall we be talking sir?"

"That one." He said pointing to a black pick up truck.

--

They drove up and down the streets of Gotham. Finally they came to a spot where Alfred could let Bruce out.

"Alfred, if I don't meet you back here at 4, I want you to use this."

"What is it?" Alfred said holding out his hand.

"A tracking device I swiped from Wayne Tech. Wish me luck?" Bruce said sliding on the ski mask.

"Good luck sir." Alfred said as Bruce stepped out and ran into the darkened alleyway.

--

Bruce climbed to the top of a building and began patrolling rooftop to rooftop. He spent hours waiting; he began to think it was a waste of time. Then he saw a young woman walking the streets. He could tell by the way she was dressed that she was here for other reasons. He began to walk away when he heard a car pull up beside her. He couldn't make out what was being said but could tell by the woman's reaction that something was happening. Bruce watched and saw the man get out of the diver side and walk over to her. Words were exchanged and then the man slapped her. She fell backwards and slowly got back up. She started to run, but the man grabbed her arm.

Bruce didn't hesitate. He looked around and found the quickest way to get down. Bruce pulled a small grappling hook from his belt. He swung it around and latched it onto a fire escape. He made sure the line was secure and swung down. He landed right behind the man.

"What the hell was that?" The man turned to see a figure dressed in all black.

"Leave her alone." Bruce said keeping a close eye on the man's actions.

"Heh, what is this Halloween?" Right after he said that the man threw a punch.

Bruce dodged the first blow. The man threw another punch. This time Bruce grabbed the man's arm and threw him up against the wall. The man's face was pressed against the brink wall. The woman ran off down the street.

"Lemme go, will ya?" The man said struggling.

"Don't let me see you out here again." Bruce let him go and the man turned to look at Bruce.

"Sure what ever you say." The man began to smile. Bruce wasn't sure what to make of it. Bruce didn't see that there was a second man in the back seat of the car. He had gotten out and grabbed a tire iron and crept up behind him.

Just as Bruce saw the shadow of the second man, he brought the tire iron down on his back. Bruce fell with a loud thud. They both started pummeling Bruce. They didn't care who they were beating up, they just knew he wasn't going to mess with them again. They repeatedly used the tire iron on Bruce's ribs. Bruce could feel them breaking and blood running from his nose.

"Come on, let's go before someone sees us."

Finally they stopped and got back into their car and drove away. Bruce laid on a sidewalk; battered, broken, bleeding, and completely alone in the Gotham night with no one to help him.


	4. From the Shadows Part 4

_**From the Shadows: Part 4**_

Bruce laid on payment bleeding, almost paralyzed by the pain. His ribs were broken and blood was dripping from his mouth all over the sidewalk. The street light began flickering, and then burnt out. Bruce knew he couldn't be seen. He would have a hard time explaining what he was doing out at this time of night dress in black.

Bruce began to slide towards an alley way. He knew Alfred wouldn't come looking for him, not yet anyway it was too early. Bruce looked up and saw a headlight pass over his face, almost blinding him. A car turned down the street and was heading in his direction. He knew he had to move or he would be seen. Bruce tried to stand but just couldn't muster up enough strength to move. Bruce slid over to the street light and lay pressed against it hoping the car would pass. Bruce looked over at the car and saw it was beginning to slow up. Bruce lay motionless as the car began to pull over and stopped. The driver side door opened and someone began walking around the car towards Bruce.

"Excuse me sir, is everything all right?" the man said.

Bruce didn't say a word. Bruce heard the man take something off of his belt. With a click of a button, Bruce's battered face lit up, from the tiny flashlight.

"Bruce… is that you?"

Bruce's eyes began to adjust to the light, but all he could see was a dark outline of the person. Bruce began to speak but sunk to the ground, unconscious.

--

Bruce finally regained consciousness after a few hours. He could hardly remember what happened earlier in the night. Now he was resting comfortably in a bed with bandages on his wounds and his ribs taped up. He had never seen this room before. He stood up and gingerly walked around to examine the room. He didn't see any pictures or anything identifiable, so he headed to the door. He cracked it open and peered out. He could hear someone coming up the stairs. Bruce as quickly as he could, stood behind the door, pressed up against the wall. The door slowly opened and a man stood in front of the bed scratching his head. Bruce couldn't make out who it was he began to creep up behind the man.

"I know your there." The man said. Bruce stopped in his tracks. He recognized the voice. The man turned around and look at Bruce. "You've looked better." He said smiling, pushing his glasses onto his nose.

"Jim?" Bruce said surprisingly. "Why did you bring me here? What about Elizabeth and Barbara, if they see me…I…" Gordon interrupted.

"Don't worry; they're off visiting her mother. I'm the only one here for the weekend."

"I need to get back home." Bruce said walking back over to the bed. He reached down to pick up his shirt. When he did a sharp pain ran though his body and doubled over in pain.

"Your not going anywhere tonight." Gordon helped Bruce get back into bed. "I called your butler and I told him you were here. You need to rest. In the morning I want to have a talk with you."

Bruce didn't have the strength to argue. He nodded and got back in the bed.

--

The next morning Bruce staggered out of his room down to the living room where Jim was sitting drinking some coffee and reading the Gotham Gazette. Bruce looked around the living room and saw pictures of Elizabeth and Barbara.

"Can you believe this headline?" Gordon said from behind the paper.

Bruce took a look. It said "_Red Hood Kills 2, Injures 1"_.

"Isn't he the one you stopped from attacking the Mayor?" Bruce asked holding his ribs.

"Yea, but it can't be the same guy. He's been locked up for a year. There must be more of them out there."

"Something should be done about it then. Innocent people are suffering" Bruce said with a serious look on his face.

Gordon folded the paper and sat it down. He looked over at Bruce. "I can't do anything about it. I have no pull at the station, you know that." Bruce looked Gordon in his eyes.

"I can though."

"What do you mean by that? Gordon asked. "Is that what happened last night? You tried taking matters into your own hands?" Bruce looked away. "It was, wasn't it? Bruce you can't be running around at night like that. You could have been hurt more then you already are."

"I know."

"What if I hadn't shown up? Whoever did this to you could have come back to finish the job. Leave this stuff to the trained professionals."

"I am trained. I've spent all those years away training for this. I've studied and learned from the best. I also made a promise to my parents, that I would protect the innocent from tragedy. I don't want anyone to suffer through what I have, but I realize I can't do this alone… I want your help."

"What? You have to be crazy. You expect these creeps to be afraid of some fool dress from head to toe in black. If Commissioner Loeb finds out that I'm helping a vigilante, I'm done. I can't have that; I have a wife and a child to worry about. I don't have a fortune like you. I will take no part in this." Gordon walked over to the fire place.

"Jim..." Bruce said in a soft tone…"You remember that night and how torn I was when my father was killed. You were also there the night my mother took her life. You know the things I've been through and you know with or without you I'm doing this."

"I can't believe I'm saying this…but…alright. But we need to set some ground rules first."

"That's fine."

--

The following day Bruce was sitting in Wayne Manor thinking back to what Gordon had said the day before. Gordon was right, who was going to be afraid of a guy dressed in all black.

"Sir…you look troubled." Alfred said sitting next to Bruce.

"I need something Alfred."

"Perhaps I can get it for you sir."

"I need a costume…I need something that will terrify them."

"Oh I see…maybe a…" About that time the phone rang. Alfred picked it up. "Sir it's Ms. Gleeson." Bruce took the phone.

"Hi...Everything is going great...Really? That's great. When do you start? How long will you be there? Oh…I see. Well…I guess I'll talk to you later then. Love you too…Bye." Bruce hung up the phone and just had a sad look in his eye. Alfred wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Bruce sat there for more then an hour thinking about her. He thought about the time he met Summer on the rooftop. He remembered how she looked and what she wore that night. He knew she was special when he met her. Picturing her face was all he could do. He didn't know how long it would be before he would see her again, since she was now a reporter for one of the largest television news networks. Then it hit him…he remembered something that happened…something that scared him. He knew what he would become.

_**-Present-**_

Rain was pouring down all throughout Gotham, with no signs of letting up. Normally Gotham was a harbor of activity after nightfall, but not tonight. No one was on the streets; all that could be heard were the rain drops hitting the ground. Many had sheltered themselves in their houses or apartments with family, with hardly a care in the world. On this night, one person was crazy enough to be out in the pouring rain.

A figure stood on the roof of an apartment building directly opposite of the Gotham Police Department. The rain was relentless and it was slowly dripping off the shady figure. The hard rain pelted the mysterious figure, but he was unfazed. It stood watching the tenth floor windows of the Gotham Police Department. The figure counted as officers left the office; it was like it knew how many people worked on that floor. Detective Bullock and Officer Montoya were always some of the last ones to leave. The figure watched them leave together, that meant that left just one person, Commissioner James Gordon. He was dedicated to his work; he was the first one there in the morning and the last one to leave. He wanted to clean up Gotham as much as anyone. The figure stood watching Gordon filing some papers, from the opposite side of the street. Gordon's back was to window that gave the figure an opportune time to enter the room through the window. The figure jumped from the rooftop, gliding across to the window seal. He entered the room without making a sound. The figure stood in the shadows watching for a minute, Gordon was still standing there filing papers.

"How long are you going to stay back there?" Gordon said without turning around to face the mysterious figure. "Sometimes I wonder why you do that Bruce."

"It's Batman." He said stepping out of the shadows.

"Oh, that's right; I forgot you act like another person underneath that cowl." Gordon still was filing papers in the cabinet.

"I don't act, this is who I am now." Bruce was wearing what looked to be a specially designed kevlar suit that was going to be sold to the military. But it was later terminated, because of the cost. The suit had am emblem on his chest in the shape of a bat, the same bat that Bruce saw that night on the rooftop. The cowl covered everything but his mouth and had ears pointing upwards. Along with the cowl he had a long cape, draped around him.

Gordon closed the file cabinet and turned around. "I can't get use to you in that get up. I'm surprised you haven't been caught on tape. Five years and no one in Gotham realizes they have a guardian. If it hadn't been for you finally taking down Commissioner Loeb, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"It needed to be done." Batman said standing in light.

"I take it your here because of the murder at Wayne Tech? It was pretty bad." Gordon looked at the file sitting on his desk. "One lab assistant was stabbed 20 times. There was no murder weapon and the cameras were shut off somehow.

"Security didn't realize it?"

"The guard's girlfriend was there that night, so you can imagine what was happening."

"Any evidence?"

"There wasn't much, but we did find this laying next to the body." Gordon reached into his desk and pulled out a baggy with a note in it.

Batman read it aloud. "What is precious to one person but worthless to all others? Gordon looked over to Batman.

"We didn't know what to make of it. Do you?" Batman looked up at Gordon.

"It's a riddle."


	5. Riddles Part 1

_**Riddles: Part 1**_

Commissioner James Gordon walked through the front doors of the Wayne Tech Labs with two officers by his side. A large man walked over and stood beside the Commissioner, his tie loosened and a toothpick in his mouth.

"Found anything new Bullock?" Gordon said taking off his hat.

"Not since we picked up that note." Bullock said removing the toothpick from his mouth. The body was still sprawled across the cold floor of Wayne Tech labs. Crime scene investigators huddled around the body examining the stab wounds. The victim was 26 year old Gotham University graduate student Shawn Peters.

"We kept the security guard and his girlfriend overnight and we got the same story every time."

"Montoya." A young officer looked up. She had just joined the GCPD a few months ago. "I want you to get a final statement from the guard and his girlfriend. Then they are free to leave."

"Yes sir." She said heading over towards where they were holding the guard.

"Bullock?" Gordon said setting his hat on the security guards desk. "Bruce Wayne is on his way here. I want you to notify me as soon as he gets here."

"Sure thing, Comissh."

--

Bruce Wayne sat in the car heading towards Wayne Tech Labs. He was focused on trying to decipher what the riddle that was left next to the victim. _"What is precious to one person but worthless to all others?"_ He kept repeating it over and over again. Alfred couldn't help but over hear Bruce; he had been puzzled by the riddle for hours.

"You say this was found at a murder scene, sir?" Alfred said keeping his eyes on the road. "Could the answer be one's life?" Bruce read the riddle again. He looked up and caught Alfred's reflection in the rear view mirror.

"That's one of the first things that came to mind; and people wonder why I keep you around." Bruce folded the riddle up and slid it into his coat pocket.

"I do appreciate it sir." Alfred said smiling as they pulled up to Wayne Tech Labs. The lab was one of the largest buildings in Gotham. It had finished construction a few years ago. It towered over all of the other buildings in Gotham's business district. Bruce called it a jewel in Gotham's skyline.

Alfred walked around and opened Bruce's door. Bruce stepped out in one of his fine Italian suits. Bruce brushed his hair back and saw Detective Bullock standing at the curb, eating a powdered doughnut. "Commish is waiting for ya." He said with powder all over his mouth.

"Thanks." Bruce said walking into the front lobby.

Alfred reached into the car and turned around to Bullock. "Napkin?" He said holding the napkin in front of Bullock.

Bullock looked at the napkin. "No thanks." As he wiped his mouth with his coat sleeve.

--

Inside Bruce walked into the lobby to hear cameras going off. Bruce walked by the CSI team and glanced over at the body. He could see the victim's vacant expression as he was sprawled across the cold marble floor. Bruce entered in to an office to see Commissioner Gordon going through some personal records of the victim.

"Any luck?" Bruce said shutting the door behind him. Gordon looked over and sat a file down on the desk.

"He was working for a Dr. Kurt Langstrom and Dr. Edward Nigma. I've already got Montoya bring both of them in for questioning. Shawn had just started working here 2 months ago."

"Why do those names sound familiar?" Bruce said looking around the office.

"You mean to tell me you own this entire Corporation and you don't recognize two of the most influential scientist's to ever come out of Gotham?"

"I've been occupied." Brice said looking back over to Gordon.

"Don't get started on that. I'm sorry I brought it up." Gordon began flipping through the file some more and came across another name. "It says here that the head of Wayne Tech Labs is George Zaan. Do you know him?" Gordon began putting the file back together.

"He's run this division since my father was in charge. But, I know something you might find useful. The riddle that was left here last night, I kept repeating it and repeating it hoping it would click, then Alfred pointed something out." Bruce began to walk over and sit down in one of the chairs positioned in front of the desk. "It was left at a murder scene and it said, what is precious to one person but worthless to all others." Gordon still looked at lost as ever. "The only thing that comes to mind is someone's life." Gordon looked up.

"The riddle seems open ended. It could mean a lot of different things." Gordon wasn't convinced that that was the answer.

"I suppose you're right, but going under the assumption that the answer is life. Then if someone were to leave something like this at a murder scene, then that means…." Gordon interrupted.

"It was premeditated." Gordon said shockingly. "That means he must have known something." Gordon opened the door and stuck his head out. "Bullock." He yelled. Bullock was sitting on the front desk and jumped off when he heard Gordon calling.

"Yes sir?" He said straightening his tie.

"Tell Montoya to get here as soon as possible with Langstrom and Nigma. Also find George Zaan and anyone else who worked in close contact with Mr. Peters."

--

Twenty minutes later two men came walking in behind Officer Montoya. Dr. Kurt Langstrom was a very tall distinguished man and looked to be in peak physical condition. Dr. Edward Nigma on the other hand was the exact opposite. Nigma was very lanky and thin and the glasses he wore covered most of his thin face. No one would have ever guessed that he was one of Gotham's most intelligent men. Officer Montoya led them to separate offices and set them down.

Bruce and Commissioner Gordon stood outside both offices. "I'll take Langstrom and you take Nigma." Gordon said handing Montoya his gun. "You stand here and keep an eye on Mr. Wayne." Montoya nodded.

Bruce entered the room and took his jacket off. He hung it up on the coat rack and sat down on the desk in front of Edward. Bruce could tell he was very nervous. He could see the sweat coming off his forehead. Bruce remembered something Ra's taught him, all those years ago. He said if they look uncomfortable in their seat, sweating even the slightest, they might be hiding something.

"So Dr. Nigma, tell me what you knew about your intern Shawn Peters." Nigma hesitated.

"He was a…a…good kid. Always on time, always ne…new what he was doing." Bruce couldn't help but focus in on his stuttering.

"Is everything alright?" Bruce said concerned as he leaned forward.

"It's…it's just I've never lost someone before. I mean just yesterday we were working together and now he's gone."

"So you saw him yesterday? When yesterday?"

"It was last night. I had to leave because my wife wasn't feeling so good. She wanted me to go pick up some medicine for her." He said dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief.

"What kind of things do you do here Doctor Nigma?" Bruce stood up and began walking around the office.

"Doctor Langstrom and I, we work on different projects that are brought to us by Mr. Zaan, the head of the labs." Nigma said finally calming down.

"What was the last thing you, Dr. Langstrom and Mr. Peters were working on before he was killed?" Bruce was now pacing behind Nigma. Nigma hesitated for a second and Bruce looked up to see Nigma taking a deep breath, which made Bruce a little suspicious.

"We were working on a government project, but it's classified. So I can't say anything else." Nigma stood up and turned to Bruce. "Can I go? My wife needs me?"

Bruce picked up his coat and turned back to Nigma. "I'll talk to Commissioner Gordon and you'll be free to leave." Bruce exited the room and shut the door behind him to see Gordon.

"What did you find out?" Gordon was standing against the wall with a cup of coffee.

"Nigma last saw him yesterday, but left because he had to pick up some medicine for his wife. He hadn't seen Peters since."

"Did he say what they had been working on?" Gordon took a small sip and offered some to Bruce.

"No thanks. He said they were working on a government project that was classified."

"That's the same thing Langstrom said. We can't find Zaan, so we are going to have to wait on questioning him." Gordon looked up at Bruce and saw him peeking in on Nigma. "What's wrong?" Gordon asked walking over to Bruce.

"He's talking to himself." Bruce pressed his ear against the door to try and make out what he was saying. "All I can make out is, they can't find out."

"Who can't find out?" Gordon stepped back up against the wall. Bruce turned around and began walking down the hall. "Where are you going?"

Bruce stopped and looked at Gordon. "They are both hiding something. Call the District Attorney's office and see if Harvey can find out about this classified experiment. I intend on finding out what is going on in my building, the only way I know how." Bruce walked down the hallway and out the front doors.

Alfred stood beside the passenger side door. As Bruce walked out Alfred reached over and opened the car door. Bruce walked over and got into the car. Alfred shut the door and got in on the driver side. "Where to sir?"

"Home. I need to get ready for tonight."

"One of those nights sir? Perhaps, you want to catch a movie at the Gotham Cinema, instead?" Alfred peered into the rearview mirror and saw Bruce scowling at him in the reflection. He knew the answer to the question and began to pull off.

--

Bruce sat in a dark, dimly lit cave back behind Wayne Manor. When Bruce was younger he and his friend Thomas Elliott found the cave. They had wandered off into the woods behind Wayne Manor one afternoon, playing a friendly game of tag when the ground gave away beneath Thomas and he fell into a dark cave. After Thomas was rescued, and both set of parents told them not to play near the cave again, the two boys continuously came back to the cave every chance they could. They had created a rope ladder and spent most of their summer afternoons examining the cave. It extended for miles in every direction. But on one afternoon Thomas fell while climbing a steep ledge. Bruce tried to stop him but, he lost his footing and fell 15 feet onto some rocks shattering is spine. Thomas was paralyzed from the waist down. With both set of parents furious, they sealed up the cave, so no one else could get hurt. Once Bruce took up the mantle of the bat he knew the perfect place to set up his own base of operations.

Sitting there Bruce could hear screeching of bats off in the distance. The sound echoed and carried through the deep shadowy cave. There was a warm glow coming from one of the many computer monitors Bruce was sitting at. He had been examining the security tapes over the past week. Trying to see if any suspicious activity had occurred, but nothing was out of the ordinary. He had file folders of all of his employees from that department and wrote down who entered what room and at what time.

"Care for some tea, sir? You have been down here for hours." Alfred said carrying a platter with some sandwiches and a cup of hot tea.

"Set it right there." Bruce said focused in on the monitors.

"Right." Alfred set the platter down and walked up the long dimly lit staircase back into Wayne Manor.

Bruce sat there for a few more hours watching the security tapes and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Until, he came across an argument between Nigma and Zaan outside of the lab. There was no sound on the video surveillance, but he could tell Nigma wasn't happy. Bruce knew he needed to find out what was going on in the lab, one way or another.

--

The night watchman that normally kept watch had been replaced by a few Gotham City Police Officers. Batman watched as they talked, just trying to kill time. He reached into his belt and pulled out a grappling line. He shot it across the street and swung to a ledge. He peered into the window and was right outside the lab Nigma and Langstrom had been working in. He pulled out a small knife and began to cut the glass. Batman carefully pulled the glass away and climbed in. He stood in the hallway waiting to see if any of the surveillance cameras had detected him. He stood in the shadows and waited for the camera to pass by. Once the camera passed, he dashed over to the door and examined the lock. The lock was one that had been especially made for Wayne Tech. He pulled out a key card and slid it in. The door opened and Batman slowly entered the room.

Batman shut the door quietly and cut on his night vision with a touch of a button on his wrist. He could see that there weren't any cameras in the lab and reached for the light switch. He cut on the lights and was shocked at what he was looking at.

"Oh my god…" Batman was overwhelmed with what he saw. He was looking at human beings that were hooked up to different types of machines, like experiments. Each one was laying a comatose state and had a blank stare on their face. Batman walked over and looked at the chart sitting at the foot of one of the patient's bed, he looked up and saw that his skin was scaly and began to read the chat. "Project 138…Waylon Jones…reptile DNA injected…All scans are normal, vital signs stable."

Batman set the chart down and began to examine each patient. One of the patients was strapped down to the bed and was being injected with a new type of hallucinogen that Langstrom had created. He read some of the notes Langstrom had scribbled down on the chart. "Project 237's status is unknown at this time, all signs indicate the hallucinogen should be working, but nothing as of yet." A couple of lines down Langstrom had scribbled one more thing. "I upped the dosage and the hallucinogen should take hold of his mind in the next 24 to 48 hours." Batman saw that Langstrom had written that down earlier that morning. Batman turned his back and began walking towards the door. What Batman didn't see, was that Project 237 raised his head and watched him exit the room. When the door closed, Project 237 laid his head back down and closed his eyes.

--

"I want this door opened right this minute." A man stood outside the lab door with a rolled up piece of paper in his hand and a briefcase in the other. He ran his hand over his bald head. "I don't care if the Commissioner isn't here yet, get that door open." One of the workers was struggling to find the right key card to open the lab door. Harvey Dent stood over him as Commissioner Gordon and Bruce Wayne were just walking up.

"Harvey what's going on here?" Gordon asked as he walked up. Bruce already filled Gordon in on what he saw in the lab the previous night. Dent handed Gordon the rolled up piece of paper.

"The Defense Department?" Gordon looked up at Harvey confused.

"I have the proof from the Defense Department that no such Government funded projects are going on here. I have a search warrant and followed all normal procedures." Dent was serious and by the look on his face.

The door finally opened and as they entered they all were amazed at what they were looking at. Gordon couldn't believe it, everything Bruce had told him was true, normal humans being used as guinea pigs for different types of genetic experiments. The look on Dent's face was one of astonishment. He was speechless.

They spent hours examining the patients and began to transferring them to another location. Dent had been on the phone all morning trying to get a fix on where Zaan was. Bruce could tell he wasn't the only person who wanted Zaan's. Bruce walked over to Gordon.

"Where are they being taken?" He asked as he read one of the patient's charts.

"Some are being taken to Gotham Medical and the others are being taken to Arkham for observation." Gordon was watching as some of the patients were being wheeled out still in their comatose state. "Nigma and Langstrom are being brought in as we speak."

--

A few minutes later Bullock walked in with Langstrom following behind him. Bruce watched as Langstrom's face turned to horror when he saw the lab was empty.

"What have you done? You can't do this!" Langstrom was in disarray.

"All the subjects have been moved for further observation. Now tell us what is really going on here?" Gordon pulled out a chair for Langstrom and had him sit down, then turned to Bullock. "Where's Nigma?"

"Wasn't at home. I have Montoya and Rogers waiting outside his apartment. They'll bring him in as soon as he arrives." Bullock pulled the toothpick from side of his head and placed it in his mouth and walked away. Dent had just gotten off the phone and walked over and squatted in front of Langstrom.

"You want to tell us what's been going on here?" Dent looked Langstrom right in the eyes. "And I don't want another fair tale, or I'll have you for obstruction of justice.

Langstrom looked around at his empty lab. "This was all Zaan. Remember we told you he brought us our projects? He had gotten an order from outside the country for genetic altered humans. I guess he wanted his own metahumans. I don't know why and don't know who, but he funded everything."

"He?" Gordon asked. Bruce was in the background listening in on what Langstrom had to say.

"That's all I know, it's a he. Edward and I didn't want to do the experiments when we first heard about it, but Zaan threaten us. He said if we didn't do it or told the police or anybody, that our families would be killed. So we had to go along with it."

"He's telling the truth." A voice came from the doorway.

"Edward?" Langstrom turned to see his partner standing in the doorway. Nigma took off his glasses and rubbed in between his eyes. "This was all Zaan."

"Where have you been?" Gordon demanded. "I had to take my wife to the doctor, remember she was sick? I drove by here and saw all the cop cars outside and thought something else happened so I came right up."

Deep down Dent somehow knew they were telling the truth. Being a District Attorney for a few years, he knew when someone was lying and when someone was telling the truth. He got on the phone immediately trying again to locate Zaan.

"Do either of you know where Zaan is?" Gordon began pacing around the lab.

"He told us he was going to meet the person who ordered this experiment." Nigma said as he took a seat next to Langstrom.

Dent pulled his ear away from the phone. "Zaan's private jet took off from Gotham International without logging a flight plan, so we have no way of finding where he was headed."

"Dammit." Gordon began to get frustrated when Bullock entered the room.

"Commish, can I see you for a minute." Bruce looked over and saw Gordon's face go pale. Gordon walked over to Langstrom and knelt down. "I don't know how to say this but your wife was killed just a few minutes ago."

"What!" The look on Langstrom's face was devastated. "How?" He began to cry.

"She was found outside of her home with…" Langstrom cut Gordon off.

"No…I don't want to know." Nigma put his arm around Langstrom to comfort him. Bruce walked over to Gordon who was taking the news just as hard as Langstrom was.

"Was there a riddle?" Bruce walked over next to Gordon and Bullock.

"No there wasn't, not as of yet. Officers just reached the scene a few minutes ago." Bullock said as he was being called over by another officer.

"A riddle?" Langstrom said wiping the tears from his eyes. "There was one taped to my door the other day." Tears began to stream down his face again.

"What did it say?" Bruce placed his hand on Langstrom's shoulder.

"I…I can't remember. Francine and I paid it no mind and threw it away. We thought it was some of the kids next door playing around." Langstrom stood up from his seat next to Nigma. "I want to go see her."

"Sure thing." Gordon said. "Bullock, take Mr. Langstrom home."

"Um…sir?" Bullock hated giving the Commissioner bad news. "One of the trucks that were carrying some of patients was just found on the side of the road a few miles from Arkham. The driver was found with his throat ripped apart and both patients are missing."

"Your kidding?" Gordon couldn't believe all of this was happening within the last hour.

"We have a report of someone terrorizing people in Gotham Park. Early reports suggest the person is highly aggressive and appears to have some sort of skin disorder." Bullock was waiting for Gordon to give him an order.

"Take a few officers and head down there. Don't shoot unless provoked, I want him alive." Bullock turned and grabbed a few of the closest officers. Gordon turned around and looked at Bruce.

"I'm on it." Bruce walked quietly out of the door and headed to work.

--

Night fell and Batman flew through the streets of Gotham in one of his most prized possessions. It was a sports car that had been heavily modified. The sleek black car roared through the streets, weaving in and out of traffic. The windows were totally tinted, and the car was heavily armored. As Batman reached the park the canopy door slid open as the car came to a stop. Batman jumped out and ran to the center of the park with his cape flapping around in the wind. He pressed a small button on his utility belt and the car locked down and became invisible. The camouflage technology had been created for the military but was rejected because of its instability. Bruce worked on it for years trying to perfect it and finally did and incorporated it into the car.

Batman hurried through Gotham Park as trees were rushing past him. As he approached he could hear gunshots being fired along with people screaming. Batman finally came across what was causing all the commotion. Batman glanced over and saw Gordon standing there. Batman pulled a set of binoculars and zoomed in on the assailant. He recognized him, it was Waylon Jones. He was one of the experiments that had been injected with reptile DNA. Batman reached up and pressed something on the side of his cowl.

"Jim...cough if you can hear me." Batman said as he glanced back over at Waylon. He looked back over at Gordon and saw him cough. "Have your men fall back and leave the area. Let me handle this before someone gets hurt." Gordon had his men fall back and leave the area. With the cops not trailing him Waylon began running in the opposite direction.

Batman followed along side Waylon, until he stopped to rest. Batman slowly approached Waylon. He didn't want to alarm him; if he did it could cause trouble. There was a loud snap beneath his feet. Batman looked down to see his foot and broken a twig. He glanced up to see if Waylon was still there, but he was no where to be seen. Batman took a few more steps when something sharp seemed to tear into him from behind. Batman rolled over to see Waylon standing over him. His skin was scaly and his shirt had been torn off, he also saw what tore into his back. Waylon had developed sharp claws from the reptile DNA.

"So, the urban legend is true." Waylon said in a gruff voice. Batman could see Waylon's sharp teeth, when he spoke. Waylon cracked his knuckles. "Guess they'll call me the legend killer."


	6. Riddles Part 2

**Batman #6 – Riddles pt. 2**

A cold breeze blew through Gotham Park, rustling the trees. Waylon Jones was standing over Batman cracking his knuckles. His skin disfigurement, sharp claws and teeth were the product of an experiment by Dr. Kurt Langstrom and Dr. Edward Nigma. He and another subject were being transported to Arkham Asylum when the vehicle crash releasing the two individuals into the streets of Gotham. Waylon was the first one Commissioner Gordon and Batman could find after the accident. After they found him, Batman was face to face with this monstrosity.

"Well I have to say, I thought you would have been a little more…well…intimidating." Waylon said as he began circling Batman as he lay on the ground. "Guess this little urban legend will end tonight."

Batman began to slowly move upwards, but as he did Waylon's sharp claws slashed across the face; almost cutting through the Kevlar. The impact knocked Batman back down to the ground. Blood began to trickle down Batman's chin. Batman wiped the blood from his chin, and slowly moved his hands towards his utility belt, just as Waylon began talking.

"Where did ya think your going? You think I'ma let ya just up and walk?" Waylon said laughing.

"Exactly…" Batman said, as he rolled a small steel ball across the ground, towards Waylon. He watched as the steel ball made its way towards him. Before Waylon could react, it began to release a gas. Waylon tried to cover his face but he began to get disoriented. When Waylon looked up, Batman had vanished. "What the hell?" He said still trying to recover from the gas.

Out of no where a punch connected right across Waylon's jaw. He didn't budge. "Heh, didn't feel a thing." Waylon smirked. "This is all fun and games…" Waylon began throwing jabs and hooks at Batman. Batman recognized the style as he was defending himself. Then he realized who Waylon was.

"You're just down and out fighter looking to make a buck now. Aren't you Waylon?" Batman said as he began to mount some sort of offensive, but each blow seemed to not faze him. "Your last resort is genetic experiments?" Batman had realized he had see Waylon before as Bruce Wayne. He had been front row at one of his main event bouts.

Waylon was the defending heavyweight champion and was defeated 30 seconds into the first round. That fight caused severe swelling of the brain and prevented Waylon from ever returning to the ring. After that Waylon seemed to drop out of sight, until he was arrested for trying to rob First Gotham Bank almost 10 months ago. Waylon was only given community service and put on probation. Ever since that happened, he had been trying to find some source of income, because he had no high school education to fall back on.

"I was the champion; I shouldn't have lost that fight." Waylon said.

"But you did…"Batman said smiling as he continued to pummel Waylon.

"The fight was fixed…I WAS SUPPOSE TO WIN!!" He screamed.

Waylon threw his arms straight out knocking Batman back against a tree. It took a few seconds for Batman to gain his composure and saw Waylon again walking towards him. He knew he was going to have to find a way to take Waylon down.

"That all you got…champ?" Batman said provokingly.

"That's it, I'm done playin' around. I'ma ****ing kill you. " Waylon began to charge at Batman, full steam. As Waylon got closer Batman saw a large tree branch lying off in the distance. Just as Waylon was about to drive himself into Batman; Batman rolled out of the way and Waylon ran shoulder first into the tree. Waylon screamed and reeled back from the pain. As he did, Batman grabbed the branch and began to strike him in the ribs. Waylon was to bewildered to retaliate. Blow by blow Waylon began to go down. Until he finally found the strength to grab the branch and throw it off into the distance.

Batman stepped back and had to rethink how he was going to take this monstrosity down. Nothing seemed to affect him. He watch as Waylon gained his composure and get back on his feet. Batman then thought of something and reached into his utility belt again. He pulled out a few small devices that hadn't been tested, but thought now was as good as any to see if they work. Waylon began making his way towards Batman. Waylon watched as the cloaked figure threw some shimmering objects at him. He couldn't feel them hit him, because of his tough skin. But, he looked down and saw a few small devices sticking to his body.

"What the ****." Waylon said looking confused. Batman reached down and pressed a small button on his utility belt. Just then a strong electric current shot through Waylon's entire body, causing him to fall to the ground, unconscious. Batman reached up and pressed something on the side of his cowl.

"Jim it's over. He's yours." Batman said as he ran into the darkened night.

--

Later on that night, Robert Zaan arrived back into Gotham via Wayne Tech's private jet. He was the one both Nigma and Langstrom had singled out as the one behind the genetic experiments. Zaan had caught word of what had happened and didn't really care. He stepped out of his private jet and slowly made his way down the steps.

"Gotham again…it's good to be back. Especially after that dreadful place I was dragged to. But, no worries; I won't have to talk to them again for a long while." Zaan said talking to his bodyguard.

"Sir are you sure it's wise to be back in Gotham so soon? I mean the police are looking for you." The bodyguard asked.

"Do you really think they are going to pin this on me? I've got a defense team that can nail both Nigma and Langstrom with their eyes closed. All while I'm in Tahiti soaking in the sun. I've got nothing to worry about, so neither should you." Zaan continued down the steps and then stopped. "Where is the car? The ladies are waiting back and my suite and you know how they hate waiting for me." He said in a cocky manner.

Just then a small luxury car with tinted windows pulled onto the runway and cruised to a stop in front of Zann. The bodyguard reached down and opened the door for him. "Someone with manners…thank you." Zaan said getting situated in the car. The bodyguard closed the door and made his way to the trunk to put in the luggage.

As Zaan was sitting there he heard a thug coming from the truck. "Is everything alright back there?" Zaan heard the trunk close and paid it no mind. The car began to pull out off the runway. "Wait, where's Terry?" Zaan asked the driver through the partition, but there was no response. Zaan tried to open the door but they had been locked from the front.

Zaan felt the car come to a stop. "What the hell are you doing? Let me out of here." He continued to bark orders until the windowed partition began to come down. He sat there silent for a second. "Wait….what are you doing…" He begged, as he saw a gun being pointed at him. Zaan had no where to go and saw the figure begin to speak.

"Riddle me this…" The figure said cocking the gun. Zaan then realized what was next.

_**BAM BAM BAM!!!!**_

Three shots rang out all striking Zaan in the chest. Zaan slumped down in his seat, lifeless.


	7. Riddles Part 3

**Batman #7 – Riddles pt. 3**

"Carl, you see that Knights game last night against Metropolis?" An airport security guard asked while patrolling the airport grounds with his partner.

"Hell yeah, I did. I couldn't believe that pass right at the end. Ryker had all the time in the world to throw the ball. I bet I could play quarterback with that offensive line." The other guard said while eating his hotdog.

"Heh, you wish, Leonard." The guard said rolling his eyes until he caught a glimpse of something off in the distance. "Hey…what's that car doing over there?" Carl said pointing.

"I dunno. Let's check it out." Leonard took one last bite of his hot dog and they made their way over to the car. Both guards drew their flashlights and began shining it over at the car.

"Take a look at that." Carl pointed his flashlight at the ground beneath the trunk. They could see something dripping from the trunk, forming a puddle.

"Looks like it's leaking….But what would be leaking from the trunk?" As they got closer they could see what it was. "Blood?" They both drew their guns and began examining the car. Carl shined his flashlight into the front seat of the car but no one was there.

"Hey, see if you can open the trunk?" Leonard called as he knelt down next to puddle. There was a click and Leonard opened the trunk slowly. "Oh my god." It was Zaan's bodyguard; he looked to have been stabbed numerous times.

"We got another one." Carl called out from inside of the car. "This one looks to have been shot." He instantly recognized who it was, it was Richard Zaan. He also saw a note lying across his lap. He picked the note up and read it. "Get the GCPD down here, now."

--

The police lights illuminated the gloomy Gotham night. Officers and other officials were investigating the area. One of the most recognizable people in Gotham had been murder. News crews were all over the place. Officer Montoya stood at the entry way keeping the press back. Commissioner Gordon just arrived and walked over to the car. He leaned in to take a look. Zaan was slumped over with three bullet holes in him.

"Whoever did this knew what they were doin" Bullock walked up behind Gordon. "Guy got whacked pretty good. Haven't seen a job this clean since, Johnny Viti knocked off Vinnie the Shark."

Gordon shook his head disgusted. "What is this world coming to, Bullock?"

"I dunno, but the wacko left another clue." Bullock said as he handed Gordon the note. Gordon looked it over, he a puzzled look on his face. "Mean anything to you?" Bullock asked as he fixed his tie in the side mirror of Zaan's car.

Gordon read the note out loud. "_You s__**e**__em to be clueless; I____will __**g**__ive you a suggestion. Look __**a**__t __**m**__y words closely or it w__**i**__ll forever remain a questio__**n**__._" Bullock stared blankly at Gordon.

"What's that mean, Commish?" Gordon shook his head. "I don't know Harvey. This lunatic just wants us to catch him." He said as he walked away and stood next to his car. He leaned against it and looked over the note again.

"Another riddle?" a stern voice said from behind. Gordon was caught by surprised.

"I hate when you do that…here take a look." Gordon said as he handed the note to Batman. "Any ideas?"

Batman was silent for a minute. "Not sure. The flight plan wasn't logged. So, whoever did this knew when Zaan was coming back." Batman looked back down at the riddle.

"So you think whoever killed him, is in on this whole thing?"

"Possibly." He examined each word carefully, and then stopped. "Jim take a look. In the riddle it says look at my words closely. You see something unusual about certain letters?"

Gordon took off his glasses and took a closer look. "Looks like some letters are written a little differently. That's a subtle clue. Whoever it is, is playing us for fools." Gordon leaned over and began writing the letters out on a napkin he took from his pocket. "So, the letters are; A, G, E, M, I, N. Could each letter could mean something different? But then how could we know what they mean?"

"I don't think so." Batman said as he took another look at the clue. "Try rearranging the letters to form a word." Gordon stood there for a few minutes trying to come up with a solution to the riddle. "These letters don't make a word." Batman walked over and began writing on the napkin. Gordon glanced over his shoulder and said each letter as he wrote it down. "E…N...I…G…M…A."

"Enigma. Which is another word for a riddle or; if you space this letter out you get, E. Nigma."

Gordon looked surprised. "You think he's our mystery killer or is he the next target?" Gordon asked putting back on his glasses.

"I'm not sure, but there is only one way to find out. Have your men at Nigma's apartment in the next 20 minutes."

"What about yo…" Gordon turned around to see that Batman had vanished. "I hate when he does that." He said as he reached for his radio.

--

Batman examined the apartment from across the street; Nigma's apartment looked to be in shambles. He could see a shadow being projected onto the wall from the dim glow from another room. Batman leapt from the building and glided down to the balcony. The moonlight gleamed down casting a bat shaped silhouette onto the wall of Nigma's apartment. He reached down to open the balcony door when a gust of wind caught the door, slowly swinging it open.

Batman made his way into the apartment. He had to step lightly, there was trash all over the floor and old newspapers were turned to the crossword section lying around the floor. He could hear a television off in the distance. When he reached the room with the television and he could see someone sitting in the chair, he couldn't tell who it was. As he proceeded, he could see Edward. He was sitting in a daze, staring into a television that was full of static. Batman reached over and tried to bring him out of it, but nothing happened. Batman looked down and saw syringes lying on the floor. He examined Nigma's arm and saw he had been poked numerous times with the needles.

Batman snapped up when he heard a noise coming from somewhere else in the house. Batman gradually followed the sounds. They were coming from the kitchen. Batman leaned in and saw Nigma's wife Rachel. She was standing next to a cutting board with a large knife protruding from the block of wood. She grabbed a hold of the knife and turned around. She started to make her way to the door when she jumped at the sight of the mysterious figure standing in the shadows. .

"Wh…who's there?" She said fearfully with the knife by her side.

"What are you doing?" The gruff voice replied. "Put the knife down. The police are on their way." Batman could see dried blood on the knife.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this." Rachel said trembling with the knife in her hand.

"What was supposed to happen?" Batman replied stepping from the shadows.

"That's the riddle, isn't it?" Batman's eyes widened. Rachel said as she placed the knife on her wrist. She watched as Batman hesitated. "I can't go to jail. It all just happened so fast, I…I …" She was still trembling as she heard sirens pull up to her building.

"Just put the knife down…" Batman said calmly as he inched closer to Rachel..

"No…I'm not goin…you can't make me go…" She began digging the knife into her wrist. Batman knew he didn't have enough time, he knew once she heard the police at the door she would cut herself.

"Stay calm, don't do anything you'll regret." Batman knew he couldn't get any closer without her reacting. So he tried to talk her out of it. Then there was a loud bang, coming from the front door.

"POLICE!! Anyone here?" A voice yelled from the front door. Batman looked over at Rachel as she began to cut her wrist. Batman lept in her direction, trying to prevent her from committing suicide. As he fell on top of her, he heard the knife fall to the floor. As Rachel fell she hit her head against the kitchen cabinet. Batman stood up quickly to make sure she was alright. He could see blood running across the floor from underneath Rachel. He didn't have enough time to examine her, because he could hear the police coming closer. He rushed out of the room and back to the balcony. He jumped off the balcony into the night thinking he had just killed someone.

--

Wayne Manor stood out against the rising sun. Bruce's room was pitch black because the shades had been pulled closed. When the door crept open shining a little sliver of light into the room, there was an outline of a tall slender gentlemen holding a tray with breakfast on it, it was Alfred.

"Master Bruce, I do wish you would get up its 4 in the afternoon, and Commissioner Gordon has been calling all morning for you." Alfred walked over to the shades and pulled them open. The sunlight poured into the room. Alfred looked over to the bed and all he saw were the covers tossed all around. "Master Bruce? Where are you?"

Alfred set the tray down on the bed and went back outside into the hallway. He heard a voice talking but didn't quite know where it was coming from. He searched and as he turned the corner to go into the main hall he saw Bruce standing their talking to his parent's portrait.

"I accidentally killed someone last night." Bruce said running his hand through his hair. "I don't know if I could handle this pressure of trying to keep my vow. Night after night, I go out and I wonder if I'm doing any good…The city just seems to get worse each day."

"I'm sure your parents would be quite proud of the man you've become Master Bruce,." Alfred said walking behind Bruce and putting his hand on his shoulder. "You could have anything you want in this world. But instead of following what others would do if they were in your shoes. You chose to make a difference. I can just hear your father now, saying keep it up and you'll be the best at what you do." Bruce turned around and smiled at Alfred. "Now sir, please call Commissioner Gordon back, it sounded very urgent." Alfred said as he turned to fix the flowers below the portrait. Bruce began walking out the door when he turned around.

"Alfred…" Alfred pulled his attention way from the flowers. "Thank you, I needed to hear that."

"That's what I'm here for sir." He said smiling.

Bruce grabbed a phone on his way down the hall. As he dialed Commissioner Gordon's number, he was afraid of what Jim was going to say. As the phone rang, he contemplated hanging up. Jim was always intimidated him, especially when it was his own mistake. He would never show that to Jim.

"Hello?" Gordon said from the other end.

"It's me…" Bruce replied.

"I've been trying to get a hold of you all day. Where the hell have you been?" Bruce could hear Gordon shuffling some papers around.

"I'm sorry Jim." Bruce was silent.

"For what?" Gordon answered.

"Rachel Nigma. I tried to stop her from killing herself but I…"

"What do you mean? She's in stable condition." Gordon could hear Bruce let out a sigh. "She sustained a concussion and when you tried to stop her she landed on the knife. Luckily it missed any vital organs. Though the doctors still have to fix the damage it cause, they have her sedated and will have operate on her in the next few days. The doctors don't want to operate under her current condition. After that we plan on questioning her about the murders."

"What about Edward?" Bruce asked.

"He was devastated. He couldn't believe what she had done. He said he was drugged by his wife and the last thing she said was I love you, before he passed out."

"Why would she want to kill her own husband?" Bruce started to wonder. "Think I can be there when you interrogate her?" Gordon hesitated before he replied.

"Sorry, but I can't let you. I got a lot of flack for letting you interrogate Nigma, but I'll let you know. Now if you don't mind I'm going to go home to Emily. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye Jim." Bruce said as he hung up the phone, relieved.

--

A week had past and Commissioner Gordon and Detective Bullock finally got to question Rachel Nigma. She had been out of surgery for two days and was finally coherent enough to be questioned. The equipment in the room made a low humming noise as Bullock took a seat next to her bead. Gordon stood at the foot of her bed looking at some of the questions he wanted to ask her.

"Mrs. Nigma, can you hear me?" Gordon said softly as Rachel slowly opened her eyes. The medication had slowly worn off but she was still exhausted. She began to speak when she closed her eyes again.

"Think she's out of it, Commish." Bullock propped his feet up on the table next to her bed.

"Rachel can you hear me?" Gordon said as he walked to the side of the bed.

Rachel opened her eyes again and spoke. "Yes." She said quietly.

"I want to ask you a few questions, is that alright?" Gordon pulled a chair over and sat down. "Why commit these murders?"

Rachel tried to set herself upright. "Zaan…" she said as she still struggled to sit herself up. "He…he…threatened my husbands life if he didn't cooperate. I saw my husband go from a kind, loving person, to a paranoid, scared shell of a person. So I helped end it, so we could go back to a normal life. When my husband's assistant found out what they were doing he threaten Eddie. Said he was going to go to the police. So I killed him. I know what Zaan was capable of, and I wasn't going to let that snot nosed kid be the reason for my Eddie's death. " Rachel said coldly.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to charge you with 4 counts of …. Wait, you said helped end it" Bullock said. "You had help?"

Rachel laid her head back on her pillow. "I got a phone call from someone. They said if I wanted to help my husband; to meet Zaan at the airport and leave his car and the rest would be taken care of." Gordon was writing everything down.

"Do you know who it was?" Gordon asked looking up from the pad.

"No…" Rachel began to doze back off.. Gordon could see the medication was beginning to kick in again. She opened her eyes again "Four counts? I only knocked off Edward's assistant and Zaan's bodyguard." Both Gordon and Bullock looked at each other.

"You say someone else killed Zaan, but you didn't kill Francine Langstrom and what about the attempt to kill your husband?" Gordon asked.

"No…she was like a sister to me and Eddie….I'd never. He said he was going to go to the police when he found out about what I had done. So I drugged him to keep him from leaving me." She said as tears began to well up in her eyes. Gordon and Bullock looked confused.

"And why leave the riddles for us?" Gordon asked as he stood up. Rachel looked around at Bullock and then at Gordon, baffled.

"What riddles?" Gordon went pale.

--

Langstrom sat in a chair in the living room of his house. He flipped through old photo albums of him and Francine. He stopped on his wedding picture and ran his fingers across Francine. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met. They had planned on having kids soon, but now it won't happen. He took a small sip of hot tea when the doorbell rang. Langstrom set the album down on the coffee table and went to the door. He opened it up and saw Edward standing there.

"Edward…what are you doing here?" Edward reached behind him and pulled out a gun and pointed it at Kirk. "What the hell?" Kirk began to back peddle. "What are you doing?" Nigma stood there, motionless.

"You look just like your wife did when I pointed this gun at her…" Edward said with a smile.

"You son of a…" Kirk was furious. He took one step forward when Nigma stopped him.

"Ahhh ahhh ahh." Edward said shaking the gun in Kurt's face. Edward slowly made his way into the house, shutting the door behind him. "I couldn't let your wife live, you may have told her the plans our employer had."

"I never did." Kurt replied.

"True. But how do I know your not lying? So I took the liberty to make sure of that. My wife is still clueless as to what is going on around her. Her killing the assistant and Zaan's bodyguard was a bonus." Nigma smirked.

"Why are you here?" Kirk began to wonder if there was anyway out of this.

"Our orders were for us to keep watch over Project 237. Now that he has gone missing our employer thought it be best to take care of all possible liabilities." Nigma picked up a picture of Francine and looked at it. "She happened to be one." He said as he dropped the picture on the ground, breaking the glass. "Zaan was the next target…he knew everything. He could have easily turned against our employer. Now it's just you and me. Our employer thought it would be best if only one of us was left." Nigma said as he cocked the gun.

"Please Edward….don't." Kirk pleaded.

"One condition..." Nigma still had the gun pointed at Kirk.

"Anything."

"Answer this and I'll let you go. Riddle me this Kurt…What is golden in value, but worth nothing at all?" Langstrom looked puzzled. He took a few seconds to think.

"I…I don't kn…."

_**BAM!!!**_

"Silence." Nigma replied looking down on his former friend.


	8. Corporate Shuffle

**Batman #8 – Corporate Shuffle**

Batman kept to the shadows as he watched over Port Adams as part of his nightly watch. He patrolled around the rooftops waiting for a deal he heard was going down tonight. He had been sitting there for hours waiting until he saw someone slowly make their way next to the dock. Just then another person came from the other direction. Batman watched as the two people began talking. One of them reached into his pocket and dangled a bag in front of the other person's face. He recognized one of the individuals, Charlie Jacobs. He had been a street dealer for Jimmy the Squid, until Jimmy mysteriously appeared on the front steps of Gotham's court house dead. Now, Charlie is running the whole show. Batman knew Charlie was with him the night before his dead. He had to of known something.

"You got the stuff right?" The guy said nervously as he looked around.

"Of course, who do you think I am?" Charlie said taking out a bag of ecstasy. "How much ya got? This $#!% ain't free.

"I got $200, it's laced right?"

"Give me the money and you'll find out for yourself." Charlie began to get annoyed.

Batman still perched up above, watched as the two concluded the deal. He waited till the deal had been made before he would make a move for Charlie. The deal was made and Charlie began walking back to his car parked around beside a warehouse. Batman followed him back to his car. Charlie stood there for a second and started counting the money. Batman leapt from the rooftop, he fanned out his cape so it acted like a glider to ease his fall. He landed on the roof of Charlie's car with a thud. Charlie was taken aback and dropped the money.

"Mother…" Charlie started to turn and run. Then he heard a voice that sent a chill down his spine.

"I wouldn't run if I were you." Batman said kneeling on the roof of the car.

"What the hell are you?" He said nervously.

"I'm Batman." He said picking Charlie up by the collar.

"Look I don't care who you are. I'm just tryin' to make a living." He said looking straight into Batman's cold eyes.

"I don't care. I know you just sold him some aspirin."

"H…How did ya know?"

"It's my business to know. Now, what do you know about Jimmy the Squid's murder?" Batman said getting down and pining Charlie in between the car.

"I don't know, I could care less about that dumbass."

Batman grabbed Charlie by the collar again and rammed him up against the car. "You were seen with him the day before he died, now tell me. Why did you kill him?"

"Look, I was with him cuz he owed me some money. Other then that I don't know nothing."

Batman let go of him and backed away. Charlie looked relived, he started laughing nervously. Batman turned around and started to walk away. Charlie heard a small noise; he looked down to see two small pellets rolling his way. Gas burst out of them. The cloud was thick and before Charlie could get into his car he dropped down on the pavement.

--

Charlie regaining his composure and could feel a cool breeze blowing through his hair. Finally he realized what was happening; he was hanging upside down almost 25 stories up.

"Where am I?" He said franticly.

"Gotham Cathedral. Now tell me what you know or you won't like what happens next." He loosened the rope that was tied around the gargoyle, making Charlie slip further down.

"Geez, ok...ok… I did it! I did it. I killed Johnny the Squid." He screamed, trying to hold back the tears.

"That's what I wanted to hear." Batman said as clicked off a tape recorder. Batman got a hold of Charlie and jumped off the ledge.

"What are you crazy? Charlie screamed as they swung through the city.

Batman shot a zip line and swung down to the closest rooftop. He dropped Charlie on the roof and walked back over to the ledge.

"You just gunna leave me tied up like this?"

"Try to get out of those ropes if you want, but the cops will be here in a few minutes." He said dropping the tape recorder next to Charlie and leaping into the dark Gotham night.

--

The next morning the sun rose and Alfred came down the steps to the cave carrying a pot of coffee and a newspaper. The cave was pitch black, but he could see the light from the computer where Bruce was sitting. Alfred cared for Bruce's well being and he knew he had been at work all night, and needed a pick me up.

"Master Bruce, you need to rest." He said pouring the hot coffee into the cup. "You have been at this all night; some rest will do you some good." He handed the cup of coffee to Bruce. Bruce barely took a sip and set it back down.

"Thanks, Alfred." Bruce focused his attention back on the computer screen as he took another sip of his coffee. He sat back in his seat and took off his gloves. An alarm sounded, someone was at the front gate. Bruce looked back up at the computer. "Computer, bring up cameras 3, 4 and 5." Bruce looked up at the cameras on screen and saw a car waiting outsides the gates, waiting to get in.

"Mr. Wayne? I'm here to pick you up for the meeting." The voice said over the intercom.

"I took the liberty of calling a driver to pick you up for your press conference this morning. I'll go let them in. You may want to clean up a little sir." Alfred said as he walked back up the stairway into Wayne Manor.

--

As Bruce drove up to up to Wayne Tower, he could see tons of news crews stationed out front for the press conference. Bruce stepped out of the car and began walking up to the podium when he felt a tap on the shoulder.

"Mr. Wayne…" Bruce turned around to see Lucius Fox, one of Wayne Enterprises senior executives. "Glad to see you." Bruce smiled and shook Lucius' hand. "I'm glad you've decided to take a stand and publicly address this situation. Zaan was conducting unauthorized experiments, all while using Wayne Tech funding to do it. The press is having a field day with this." Lucius said putting his arm around Bruce as they walked up the steps.

"All this time I've been back in Gotham, I neglected my duty as CEO of this company. I relied on other people. Now it's time I step up and take charge." Bruce said sternly. Bruce glanced over at the podium and saw his old friend Thomas Elliott being wheeled up the ramp. "Excuse me Lucius." Bruce said as he walked over to where Tommy was.

"Look at you..." Bruce smiled as he went over to greet Tommy. Tommy was dressed in a nice suit and being push up the ramp by an attractive young woman.

"Look at me? Look at you." Tommy said with a smile. "Who would have thought one of the richest men in the world would call me and offer me a job?"

"You are the right man for the job aren't you? If not I can call someone else. It's no problem." Bruce laughed. "How's the retirement going?"

"Great. Ever since I sold my software company, it's been easy street. Well…as easy as it's going to get." Tommy said patting his paralyzed legs. Bruce saw the depressing look in Tommy's face when he said that. The young woman who was pushing the wheelchair cleared her voice. "Oh, Bruce. Let me introduce you to my fiancé." Bruce met eyes with Tommy's fiancé. "Bruce this is Selina Kyle...Selina, Bruce Wayne." Bruce was taken back for a moment.

"Pleasure to meet you Bruce." Selina replied as she was rubbing Tommy shoulders. Bruce didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"Takes your breath away doesn't she?" Bruce finally replied.

"Yeah she does." Bruce said as Lucius called him over to take a seat.

"Bruce it's time." Bruce took a seat next to Tommy as Lucius tapped on the microphone and began the press conference. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are all here today in regard to the recent events surrounding Wayne Enterprises and the conduct of its employees. We thought it would be best to address all the issues concerning these terrible series of events. First off we want to give out condolences to those family members who lost a loved one in these past few days. We wish the Peters, Zaan and the Langstrom families well. Now I would like to introduce Mr. Bruce Wayne." Lucius stepped back from the podium and took a seat. Bruce stood up in front of the news crews and took out a handkerchief. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, he looked a little nervous. That's what he wanted everyone to think anyway.

"Hi everyone…First off I would also like to send my condolences to those families who lost a family member. But the reason why we are all here is to discuss the future of Wayne Enterprises. Most of us have lived here in Gotham all out lives and known that the Wayne name has been synonymous with Gotham. My grandfather helped build some of these buildings that are still standing today. My father built a company from the ground up. He worked hard and dedicated to his work and to this city. Me? I've been neglecting my duty. I let things happen that shouldn't have, those who are responsible have been taken care of and it's time to start anew. That's why today I would like to introduce the new head of Wayne Technologies, Mr. Thomas Elliott." Selina stood up and wheeled Tommy up towards the front of the stage, as he waved for the cameras and reporters. "I would also like to make another announcement. He doesn't know this but I am also going give Mr. Lucius Fox the title of Chief Operating Officer." Bruce glanced back at Lucius who had perked up when he heard the news. The shocked look on his face made the crowd laughed.

"Thank you Mr. Wayne." Lucius said graciously.

"Mr. Fox will oversee the day to day operation of every aspect of Wayne Enterprises. I will also play a role these operations but on a limited basis. Mr. Fox knows the ends and outs better then anyone. He'll probably teach me a thing or two." Bruce laughed. "Anyone have any questions?" All the reporters began speaking at once, until one broke through.

"Mr. Wayne…With the recent death of Dr. Kurt Langstrom and the sudden disappearance of Dr. Edward Nigma, are you concerned with the safety of your staff?" One reporter asked.

"No I am not. Our surveillance and security have been increased and I'm not worried at all. Next question." Bruce looked out again into the sea of reporters.

"My sources tell me that all the genetic experiments were transferred to Arkham, but one. Any comment?" The reported directed his microphone in Bruce's direction.

"We have no comment at this time. Next question." Bruce didn't want to let people know that one experiment was still on the loose.

"Mr. Wayne…Mr. Wayne." A voice called out. "Do you have a special lady in your life?" Bruce's eyes lit up. He knew that voice. He scanned the crowd and finally caught eyes with the reporter who asked the question. It was Summer Gleeson.

"I uhh…umm…no. A bachelor like myself is always looking." He said with a sheepish grin on his face.

--

After the press conference was over Bruce caught up with Summer who was standing next to her news van. She was looking as beautiful as Bruce remembered. As Bruce was heading over to the van Tommy and Lucius cut him off.

"Bruce, we need a minute of your time. You never told us of the escaped experiment." Both men looked a bit irritated.

"Yeah…it kind of slipped my mind. I've had help from Commissioner Gordon in trying to find him, but nothing has come up. They think he could have made it to Bludhaven by now. Monday why don't we all meet up, I've got a few things I want to discuss with you both and you can voice any concerns you have then. Now if you'll excuse me." Bruce continued his way to Summer.

"So, what brings you back to town, Ms. Gleeson." Bruce said as he put his hands in his coat pocket.

"You can't keep me from a big story like this, and you of course." She leaned in and kissed Bruce on the cheek. "Are you free tonight? I'm in town for a few days and I thought we could catch up." Bruce thought about going patrolling again tonight but decided against it.

"Sure. You still remember where I live right?"

"Yeah." Summer punched Bruce on the shoulder playfully.

"Your paying, right?" Bruce smirked.

--

Later on that night a young woman walked down a dimly lit street. She was shivering but she had to be out there in order to get by. With every passing car she would walk out into the street hoping someone would give her some work, but no one did. She continued down the sidewalk until her heel broke.

"Damn." She said as she bent down to pick up her broken heel. She began to walk away when she heard a noise in the alley. "Anyone there?" She continued down the alley. "Hello anyone there?" She could hear a man's voice coming from behind the dumpster.

"What do you think I should do?" The voice said. "Oh no, I wouldn't dare…" the voice said. The girl continued down the alley way to see who the man was talking to. She figured she could get some money by working both of them. The man continued to talk. "I hear something." She could hear the shuffling of trash on the ground. "You hear it too? Someone's come to visit us." Finally the woman saw a man leaning up against the dumpster. She couldn't see his face, but he continued to talk. "She's looooooking at meeeee. He doesn't like when people look at me like that." The woman looked confused.

"Who you talking to? Ain't no one else here." The woman said

"Oh…but there are plenty of people here. See?" The mysterious man moved some trash to revel a naked man's body. The woman backpedaled; she had never seen a dead body before. The man appeared to be very fit and a business man of some sort. He had been wearing a suit, but it was crumpled up on the ground beside him. She began to turn and run but the mysterious man grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the ground. "It's not nice to run." The mysterious man said with a slight giggle.

"Let me go..." The woman said kicking franticly. The mysterious man ran his hands up her long legs.

"These are nice." She began screaming. The man jumped on top of her and placed his hand over her mouth. "It's not nice to scream. You might wake everyone up." The woman struggled to get free but the man's grip was too strong. She noticed on his shirt a tag that said Project 237. "If you don't hold still I'll kill ya." The man said as he reached for a shard of glass. She stopped thrashing around and listened to the stranger. She didn't want to die tonight. "Who am I kidding I'ma kill you anyway." She could finally see the man's face as he reached back, ready to strike. It was one of the most frightening things she had ever scene; his smile was the last thing she was going to see. He began stabbing her repeatedly; her screams were loud at first but slowly faded with each thrust of the shard of glass. He finally stopped, her motionless body laid there in a pool of her own blood. The man sat back down next to the dead man's body. He grabbed a hold of him and sat him upright, beside him. "Girl was a screamer… With a voice like that; she could have woke the dead." He said looking at the dead man's body. "Heh heh…you were suppose to laugh that was a joke. HaAhAahhAhAhHahHahA!!!


	9. WIld Card Part 1

**Batman #9– Wild Card pt. 1**

Commissioner Gordon stood watch as paramedics wheeled two body bags from an alley. Someone had reported smelling something coming from the alley and when they made their way down there, they found two bodies laying there. Both had been stabbed repeatedly and one was missing his clothes.

"Commissioner!" A young woman's voice called out. Officer Montoya walked over and stood next to Gordon. "Whoever did this left the person's wallet but took the money." She said showing Gordon the wallet. "It looks like the woman worked these streets, so she probably didn't have much on her, if any." Gordon stared into the alley and then looked down at the wallet.

"Anything else?" Gordon asked as Montoya looked over at another officer.

"Briggs, bring that over here." Officer Briggs walked over with something balled up in his hand. He held it up and unfolded it, it was a tattered shirt. When Gordon first glanced at it he didn't see anything unusual. When he examined it again he could see some faint lettering on part of the shirt.

"Can you make that out?" Gordon asked. Montoya took a closer look.

"Project 237…" Gordon then realized who did it.

Bruce's room was dark. The curtains were pulled, but the sun shown through the cracks lighting up the chair that sat in the corner. His clothes had been thrown over the back of it as Bruce laid underneath his cool covers. The previous night had been long for him. The phone rang, that was sitting besides his bed. He slowly reached for it, but couldn't find it at first and finally got a hold of it.

"Hello?" He said sluggishly.

"Bruce."

"Jim?" Bruce sat up in his bed.

"I think we may have a situation. The escaped patient your company was transporting made an appearance last night." Gordon paused.

"Did they catch…?" Gordon interrupted quickly.

"He killed two people." Bruce didn't say anything; he didn't want to think that his negligence of Wayne Enterprises cost the lives of two individuals. Bruce could hear the ambulance pull off in the background.

"Were there any other leads?" Bruce asked.

"No. Look, I've got to go. I'll let you know if I find anything else, I just wanted to give you the heads up before the press find out." Gordon said as he hung up the phone.

Bruce hung up the phone and laid his head back against the headboard. A woman's arm draped over Bruce's body. He looked down at the woman lying next to him.

"Who was that?" A voice asked.

"It was work related." Bruce answered.

"I hate I'm leaving you again." Summer sat up next to Bruce brushing the hair from her face. "I've got to go file my story and I'll be back as soon as I can. I've got some vacation time, I haven't used yet." She said laying her head on Bruce's shoulder. Summer looked over at the alarm clock. "Damn, I need to get going. The car should be here in about an hour."

"I need to get to work too." Bruce said as he slid from underneath the covers. "Alfred will make sure you get some breakfast." Bruce leaned over and kissed Summer as he walked out the bedroom. "I'll see you later."

* * *

Gotham was full of activity that afternoon. The sidewalks were crowded with people on their lunch breaks or running errands. In front of a department store a crowd gathered and watched as someone was trying their hand at outsmarting a card shark.

"Guess where the card is." The guy said as he shuffled the four cards around on the fold out table. The man that was playing put down twenty dollars and picked one of the cards. "Nope, not the one you were looking for. Who's next?" The man cried out as the crowed looked around awaiting the next chump. Just then a lanky individual with green hair pushed his way to the front and stood there staring at the card shark.

"Well you going to place a bet or what?"

Project 237 fumbled through the pockets and pulled out some change that was buried deep in his pockets. He threw it on the table. "High roller ain't ya?" The man laughed.

"Heh." Project 237 snickered. The card shark began shuffling the cards around.

"You're looking for the ace of hearts." The shark said. Project 237 paused and picked a card. The card shark flipped it over and revealed a joker. "Aww to bad." Project 237 looked down and stared down at the Joker card for a few second and laughed it. "What's so funny, you lost. Well, that's all for today folks. Come back tomorrow and see if you can win." The card shark said as Project 237 stood there staring at the joker card lying on the table. "Game's over with get out of here." Project 237 turned and made is way back onto the busy sidewalks of Gotham City.

The card shark packed up his stuff and headed back to his apartment. He couldn't believe he suckered all those people into trying their hand at a fixed game. On his way into his apartment complex he began counting his money. It was just enough to get into the Halloween party at the Iceberg Lounge. He started fumbling through his pockets trying to find his keys, when a figure appeared out of the corner of his eye. He jumped back dropping his fold out table and his money. He looked over and saw the lanky individual from the street.

"You dropped it…." Project 237 laughed.

"No shit Sherlock. What the hell do you want? You lost. I don't want to talk to your crazy ass…now go home." He said sliding his key into keyhole. He started to walk into his apartment when Project 237 quickly jumped in front of him.

"Who said I was here to talk?" Project 237 grinned as he pulled out the shard of glass from the previous murders and drove it into the man's stomach. He tried to scream, but Project 237 put his hand over his mouth to muffle the sound. Project 237 then reached around to the back of the man's head.

*SNAP*

A loud snap was heard as he twisted the man's head. He drug the man's body into the dark apartment as he shut the door behind him. He tossed the corpse off to the side and cut on a light in the apartment.

"Cozy place ya go here. A little dull but hey… what do I know. Heh heh." Project said laughing. He began rummaging through most of the man's stuff. In the man's bedroom Project 237 started searching through the closet. On a hanger he saw a purple suit covered in plastic with the words _"Chris' Halloween costume"_ written across it. Chris had planned on going as a pimp to the party at the Iceberg Lounge. Project 237 walked over to Chris' dead body. "Purple?" He asked puzzlingly as he held the suit up. "I mean come on….purple is so last year." Project 237 took the suit out of the plastic and began putting it on.

He walked over to the mirror, just staring at himself. "Does this make me look fat?" He said asking Chris's dead body. Project 237 continued searching through Chris's apartment and came to a night stand next to his bed. He opened the drawer and saw a bible. He picked it up and tossed it aside and saw was underneath. His face lit up with excitement. He reached down and picked up a handgun. He admired it for a second running his hands across it. "Bang, bang, bitches." He said chuckling, as he slid it in between his belt.

Project 237 made his way towards the door but stopped at Chris' dead body. He fished around in Chris' pockets and pulled out the deck of cards. He began shuffling the cards and pulled out a Joker. "Joker" he said softy. "Joker. I like it…what do you think? You like it to? Then it's settled you've just been the first victim of the Joker." He said laughing almost uncontrollably.

Later on that night Bruce stood in the vault looking at the suit. The cowl sat on a pedestal with a light shining down on it. He looked down at the rest of his equipment and began picking up each piece and began suiting up. He couldn't stand that his company had cost the lives of innocent people across Gotham. It was time he found this last failed experiment by Nigma and put him away for good.

Just then Alfred walked up behind him. "Sir if Miss Gleason calls what should I tell her?" Alfred still wasn't too fond of Bruce's alter ego. Bruce seemed to change every time he put on the suit, Bruce vanished and he became the Batman.

"Tell her I'm working late at the office." Batman said as he threw the cape over his shoulders.

"But won't that lead her to believe…" Alfred said as Batman walked passed not saying a word and straight towards the Batmobile. He hopped in and started the engine. It roared throughout the cave as the canopy closed. Alfred could hear bats flapping around in the distance as Batman sped off towards Gotham.

Joker stood on the steps of the apartment building. He looked around the somewhat empty streets. He felt like having some fun tonight, but didn't know where he wanted to go. Just then he saw a group of girls walk past dressed up in angel costumes. He stepped down from the stoop and watched as they strolled down the sidewalk. Joker's eyes grew big and a smile across his face.

"Wait'll they get a load of me." He said as he began following the young ladies.

**_-To Be Continued—_**


End file.
